System and Methods for Performing Pedicle Integrity Assessments of the Thoracic Spine
First Claim
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1. A neuromonitoring system, comprising:
- a stimulator configured to deliver a stimulation signal comprised of multiple electrical pulses to nervous tissue within a patient;
at least one sensor configured to detect a neuromuscular response evoked by the stimulation signal;
a control unit communicatively linked to said stimulator and said sensor;
the control unit configured to (a) direct the stimulator to deliver the stimulation signal of multiple electrical pulses, (b) receive and process the neuromuscular response detected by the sensor, and (c) assess whether bone forming a part of a vertebra is one of breached or near breaching due to one of screw placement, hole formation, and hole preparation.
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Abstract
The present invention includes a system and methods aimed at surgery, and more particularly to a system and methods for monitoring nervous tissue to assess the integrity of a pedicle wall during or after pilot hole formation and before, during, or after screw implantation, particularly in the thoracic spine. The system also performs other neurophysiologic assessments including, but not necessarily limited to, neuromuscular pathway status, nerve proximity detection, nerve pathology monitoring, and spinal cord health monitoring.
84 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A neuromonitoring system, comprising:
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a stimulator configured to deliver a stimulation signal comprised of multiple electrical pulses to nervous tissue within a patient; at least one sensor configured to detect a neuromuscular response evoked by the stimulation signal; a control unit communicatively linked to said stimulator and said sensor;
the control unit configured to (a) direct the stimulator to deliver the stimulation signal of multiple electrical pulses, (b) receive and process the neuromuscular response detected by the sensor, and (c) assess whether bone forming a part of a vertebra is one of breached or near breaching due to one of screw placement, hole formation, and hole preparation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for testing the integrity of bone in one of the thoracic and cervical regions of the spine, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a stimulation signal from a surgical instrument to nervous tissue proximate to one of a thoracic and cervical vertebra pedicle; detecting from at least one sensor a neuromuscular response evoked by the stimulation signal; and assessing whether the pedicle is one of breached and is close to breached due to one of screw placement, hole formation, and hole preparation into said pedicle. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification